Blog

Believe it or not, some good news has come out of Washington recently related to public lands.

On March 23, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill, which included a two-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRS Act). This is hugely important for supporting schools in rural areas, as well as road maintenance and Forest Service Resource Advisory Committees (RACs), which are solely funded by this bill.

Forest Service RACs are made up of community members across the country who want to influence how federal funds are spent to benefit local forest. In my area of Coconino County, Arizona, for example, we receive $4 million from the SRS Act. We use some of this money for RAC projects such as building trails by youth conservation groups; restoring watersheds; protecting wildlife habitat; and forest thinning to prevent wildfires. The rest goes toward road maintenance and schools. For rural areas, sometimes this money supports the only schools in the area. Each community is unique, but every RAC represents different points of view.

Forest Service RACs are made up of 15 people from diverse backgrounds, including a rancher, a hunter, a member of an Indian Tribe, an environmentalist and a local elected official. (Read more about RACS in my previous blog post on the topic here.) But it’s also crucial that these decision-making bodies represent ethnic diversity, including Latinos. That is where you come in!

The time is now to apply for positions available on your local RAC. You can have a real impact on how the Forest Service spends money to protect resources in your area. The connection between Hispanics and the outdoors, including hunting and fishing and other cultural outdoor traditions, should play a role in these decisions. HECHO can help support you in presenting these issues to the RACs and how to convey the significance of Hispanic hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts in protecting our forests.

RAC funding allows communities to interface with the Forest Service and prioritize projects that RAC members believe will be most beneficial for the forest and the community. It is valuable for Hispanics to strengthen relationships with the Forest Service and educate them about our centuries-old cultural ties to the land. This is our land and we are the stewards.

For many generations, Latino families have enjoyed our shared public lands. These precious places are where we hunt and fish, where we gather our fire wood, where we take our families on camping trips, where we hike, bike, and get away from it all to connect with our heritage and recharge our souls.

If we expect to hand down our land-based traditions and heritage to our children, we need to work today to make our voices heard. Serving on a RAC is one way Latinos can get a seat at the table in terms of policy making and resource decisions. It’s not a big time commitment, but it can make a big difference.

I served on our local RAC for 6 years, but my time is now up. Is it your turn?

Contact your local forest service office at the following numbers and ask for an application. Here are links to the Forest Service offices in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada.

Liz Archuleta, HECHO’s Arizona Spokesperson, is currently serving her fifth term on the Coconino County Board of Supervisors representing District Two.

HECHO: Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors

HECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors) is a group for Latinos who enjoy fishing, hiking, hunting, camping and other outdoor activities. We are seeking to balance development with conservation, and we believe that it can be done by engaging more Latinos in the effort to protect public lands.

Featured Posts

We packed up our backpacks with snacks, notebooks, crayons and water, and set out to explore the outdoors. We headed to Phoenix’s Piestewa Peak to climb rocks and investigate various plants and animals, and had an inspiring day that sparked our curiosity for the natural world right in our own backyard.

Vida is 8 now and a proud member of the Girl Scouts, where I also work. I watch as she and her troop members learn new skills, push the boundaries of their imaginations and nurture their connections to the earth.

I am also struck when I see Latino families in Phoenix grow closer each year when we gather at South Mountain Park to go camping, practice archery and cook dinner on the open fire. All of the generations bond for this special experience in the outdoors that is becoming increasingly rare in our urban culture.

In honor of the LWCF, we asked some of our HECHO Board Members to share their favorite places that have benefited from the LWCF in this edition of Enjoying the Outdoors. Read on for their great tips on where to visit this holiday season and throughout the year.

In late November, our mission and our passion came together when HECHO Advisory Board Members from Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah flew to Washington D.C. to speak directly to their members of Congress on the importance of protecting our shared public lands by reauthorizing the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).